MICHIGAN SCHOOL SAFETY STANDARDS

In all of Michigan’s current and upcoming public school policies and legislation, focused attention on students’ mental health is a priority. Throughout 2022-23, the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety (MSP/OSS) is hosting Michigan K-12 Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (Mi-BTAM) training free of charge. This training is intended for school-based threat assessment teams in K-12 public, charter, and private schools. This training teaches teams to identify, engage, and work collaboratively with families and students to mitigate situational life factors contributing to thoughts of violence and aggression.

The Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management training enacts the School Safety Task Force’s mandate for behavioral health interventions. The training addresses topics including understanding school violence and implications for prevention, steps for developing and operating an effective school threat assessment program, and developing and implementing case management plans. Advanced training is available after the initial basic training is completed.

The 2022 Competitive School Safety Grant Program (CSSGP) funds measures that fulfill the School Safety Task Force’s Recommendations. The Michigan Legislature appropriated $10 for these measures. The Grants and Community Services Division (GCSD) of the Michigan State Police (MSP) awarded and administered these competitive grants. Eligible grantees included public schools, nonpublic schools, school districts, and intermediate school districts. These grants fund measures that improve the safety and security of students, staff, and school buildings. Specifically, the CSSGP supports purchasing safety and security technology and equipment. The program also provides funds for technology upgrades and improvements to existing systems. 

Michigan legislators will continue to prioritize safety and security in schools. Governor Gretchen Whitmer proposed increased funding for the 2022-23 fiscal year to $66 million in school safety grants. This number equals the total amount of funding for school safety distributed since 2015. According to Whitmer, “with this historic proposal and my larger education budget, which includes resources to improve every kid’s in-class experience, build and renovate school facilities, and retain and recruit more teachers, we will invest in every school and every district across Michigan.” School districts across the state will be eligible for this increased funding.

In 2020, the US Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) convened a School Safety Working Group that identified ten essential actions schools, school districts, and law enforcement agencies can take to mitigate and prevent school violence. COPS also recommended actions to facilitate swift and effective law enforcement assistance when it is necessary. The Michigan Office of School Safety highlights the role of School Resource Officers and collaboration with law enforcement as essential elements of its approach to making schools safer. COPS guidance regarding school safety measures, therefore, informs their recommendations.

The COPS School Safety Working Group’s “ten essential actions” address both the physical safety and the emotional security of students and staff members:

1. 1. comprehensive school safety assessment 
   2. school climate 
   3. campus, building, and classroom security 
   4. anonymous reporting systems 
   5. coordination with first responders 
   6. behavior threat assessment and management 
   7. school-based law enforcement 
   8. mental health resources 
   9. drills 
   10. social media monitoring 

These actions suggest that a school building’s physical security is directly related to the school community’s health. Increasingly, education leaders are making the case for security as a prerequisite for a robust learning environment.

Alyssa’s Law, named after Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, aims to ensure that first responders can reach schools as quickly as possible, take down threats, and triage any victims. Alyssa’s Law seeks to decrease law enforcement response time when a life-threatening emergency occurs in a school. The law calls for installing silent panic alarms directly linked to law enforcement. 

Alyssa’s Law was passed in New Jersey in 2019, Florida in 2020, and New York in 2022. It has also been proposed in Arizona, Nebraska, Texas, and other states. The makers of the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert school safety system incorporated feedback from Marjory Stoneman Douglas public safety commission representatives into the system’s product-level design. The system fulfills the mandate of Alyssa’s Law and similar legislation, including the school safety measures introduced by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. 

Physical security measures can seem like a quick fix, but researchers have found that physical security is just one of the necessary components of school safety. A positive and supportive school climate is one of the most important parts of prevention, and school climate and physical security are directly related. 

The Michigan Office of School Safety recommends purchasing school safety systems to foster a positive school climate. When discussing potential physical safety systems with vendors, a potential purchaser should ask these questions:

• Maintenance. What if the system malfunctions? Does it require a subscription? How burdensome is it to operate?

• Research. What data proves the system’s effectiveness? What do other clients report? 

• Installation. How much construction is required? How disruptive is the installation process? What are the options for equipment placement?

• Satisfaction. What if the school is not satisfied with the product? Can the vendor share testimonials? 

The CENTEGIX CrisisAlert school safety system features the following elements, all of which fulfill the mandates of Alyssa’s Law:

• • a mobile panic alert system featuring 100% adopted, wearable security badges
  • connections to diverse emergency services technologies
  • real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies, including county, local, and on-site responders
  • integration with local public safety dispatchers to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations